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Fish and brewis
Salt cod with hard tack
Newfoundland salt cod with hard tack and pork scrunchions
CanadianFish and brewis (say "brews") is a Newfoundland breakfast and Sunday supper from the fishing outports of the Avalon and Bonavista, made from the two things every boat carried: salt cod and hard bread. Both are soaked overnight, then boiled and served together topped with scrunchions, crisp little cubes of fried salt pork and their fat. It is hearty, salty and very simple. A common mistake is not soaking the fish long enough; change the water several times. Chef's tip: break the softened hard tack by hand so it keeps some texture rather than turning to paste.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb salt cod
- 4 cakes hard tack (hard bread)about 350 g
- 4 oz salt pork or fatty baconcut into 5 mm cubes
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- ½ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: The day before, rinse 1 ⅛ lb salt cod and soak it in a bowl of cold water in the fridge for 24 hours, changing the water three or four times. In a separate bowl, cover 4 cakes hard tack (hard bread) with cold water and soak overnight in the fridge too.
5 minStep 2: Drain the fish, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 15 minutes until it is opaque and flakes easily. Drain, then remove skin and bones and break into flakes.
15 minStep 3: Fry 4 oz salt pork or fatty bacon in a dry pan over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes until the fat has run out and the cubes are crisp and golden; these are the scrunchions. Add 1 onion for the last 4 minutes. Keep warm.
10 minStep 4: Drain the hard tack, put it in a pan with just enough fresh water to cover and bring to the boil. Drain at once; it should be soft but not mushy. Break into rough pieces.
10 minStep 5: Mix the fish and brewis gently, season with ½ tsp black pepper, then spoon the scrunchions, onion and fat over the top. Serve hot.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fish and brewis take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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